gtdoggie

Recently went on a spirited 250 mile weekend drive with a group of guys who are fairly experienced on a track( I am not, and yes I know I should!). Being a less skilled driver, even in my 4.0 RS, it was a challenge to keep up with these guys in the twisties in their 3.8 GT3, Turbo S and ZO6. Given their skills and fearless natures this was not much of a surprise to me. But what came next was a surprise, especially to the 997.2 PDK Turbo S owner. We were getting on a fwy onramp with the Turbo S in front, me 2nd and the 3.8 Gt3 behind. We all "hit it at the same time". Much to my surprise, I was right on the tail of the turbo S up to high speeds and eventually "pulled on him". The 3.8 as expected was not keeping up. This same scenario repeated itself over and over again at various rolling speeds. Having come from a 73 911s, 996 turbo, 997.1 GT3, and lastly 997.2 GT3 RS I have been saying for some time how surprised I am at the amazing pull from the 4.0 engine. Better then the numbers alone
seem to suggest. But I never expected it to at least keep up with or slightly better the turbo S in straight line rolling acceleration at
many various speeds, and not simply just short bursts. Nor was
the owner of the Turbo S, who immediately thereafter starting looking for a 4.0 and quickly closed the deal on a low mileage, low optioned black 4.0 RS. Now there is no chance for me to keep up with him in the twisties.

jenk12m

Wow he found a 4.0 that fast

gtdoggie

Yes. I believe he jumped on the Hennessey black 4.0 with 1100 miles.

Targa Tim

Surprising result - turbo S having more hp, and as we know, PDK shifts much faster than manual...

I don't think the lighter weight of 4.0 can make up for the above advantages.

gtdoggie

Yup. I agree. But it did. Believe me, we were both surprised but impressed. Manual and not turbocharged.

green

Cool story!

orthojoe

Could be a factor of heat soak or high ambient temps. Turbos are affected by the heat much more than NA cars.

tcsracing1

the lighter weight vehicle had the advantage...

Jake951

If I'm not mistaken, weight/hp ratio favors the RS 4.0. The Turbo S has 30 more bhp (530 hp vs. 500 hp) but weighs several hundred pounds more. I know the Turbo makes a lot more torque, but once you're rolling, hp matters more than torque. I know that on a track straightaway a Turbo S will walk away from my 997.1 GT3, but it doesn't run away, so I guess I can believe a RS 4.0 could outrun a Turbo S.

tradervic

The 4.0 was in fact in front of me which is why I thought it may have been pulling above 80 mph or so. It was definitely a sight to see. And an even better sound

Due to rolling start, quicker shifting PDK in the S was not much of a factor. I don't think heat was either.

I'd love to get these both on an airstrip with another rolling start.

gtdoggie

I always thought that torque was more important than hp with regards to acceleration. But I guess it isn't that straightforward. I also thought that the lighter car would have the edge off the line but as speed increases the torque advantage would overshadow the weight increase and give the advantage to the turbo S, but it didn't. As the speed increased the 4.0 seemed to have the advantage over the turbo, despite much lower torque. Interesting. The 4.0 has the turbo pull but in a high revving, great sounding NA, lighter package. And then on the twisties...!!

GreenLantern

Interesting story, indeed. So that's who grabbed the Hennessey one, heh.

Thanks for sharing.

WSH

Are you waiting on transport ?
I saw your 4.0 still in Hennessy's "delivery room" today, Sun 6/10
Beautiful, of course !

Best of luck..hope it gets delivered soon
You couldn't be dealing with a better store than Hennessy

wsh

tradervic

Yes, waiting on the truck to fill. It should be here on the west coast in two weeks, (hopefully sooner).

And yes, Hennessy is an amazing store and I'm thankful to be working with them on a cross country transaction.

Thanks for the update. I was just out there this weekend.

GreenLantern

Sounds like a l-o-n-g two weeks.

All the best, tradervic! Congrats again, and enjoy in good health.